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OCT 4 im 



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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. 

Chap^^.r'- Copyright MS^'P- 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 



Bown Durle^ Xane 



.... ..... 




^ovcn 2)urlc^ Xanc 

mb ©tber BaUa68 



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Diroinia Moobwarb Cloub 



IlClitb IFlIustrations b's 

1RecjinalC> B. JSircb 



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mew l?ork : Zhc Century Ca : 1 898 






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15022 



Copyright, 1891-1898, by 
The Century Co. 




„,.. COPIES R£C£IVED. 



t89t 



The De ViNNE Press. 






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Co 

OXi\> nDotber 



/ 




I Down Durley Lane .... 

II When Mistress Peggy Comes to Town . 

III The Happy Holiday of Master Merrivein 

IV How the Dominie Went to Sea 



1>AGE 
I 

9 

13 

20 



V What Things Befell the SauiRE's House all on a Friday 

Morning 26 



VI The Scribe of Durley 



VII The Highwayman of Durley 



VIII The Happy Thought of Mistress Pynch 
IX The Enviable Errand of Master Merrivein 



X The Battle of Durley 



XI White Marie 



31 

• 37 
45 

• 51 
57 

. 63 



XII 



CONTENTS 



XII Lisbeth's Song 



Xlil By Hook or by Crook 



XIV The Fool and the Little Court Lady 



XV The Ballad of the Maid and the King 



XVI Over the Bridge to the King's Highway 
XVII What the Lord High Chamberlain Said 



XVIII Old Christmas 



PAGE 
67 

7^ 
. 79 

• 91 
97 




^ov^n 2)urlc^ %nnc 






'■-'^ 



***'t^<<^"%. 







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OWN Durley Lane a-singing as I chanced for to go, 
The brier was a-blossom, and the hedges were a-blow- 
There I spied a piper, a-piping to the sky, 
So down the lane and after him away went I. 



" O/i, tell me, piper, tell me, why go you piping here ? " 
*'■ For honey-stalks and ox-lips a7id all the sweet o' year !" 



Or^^'K .J^ 




■'& \r^';i->{ 







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HERE the crooked turnstile at the 
meadow stands 
A brown and lithesome farmer lad was 

Avhistling o'er his lands ; 
Only larks above the wheat could whistle 

clear as he, 
So through the meadow, after him, away 
went we ! 



" Oh, tell tts, farmer, tell us, why go yon 7vhistliug gay ? ' 
" For barley-break and yellow moon and tossing of the hay ! 




DOWN DURLEY LANE. 



m. 




UT upon the highway from the 
nodding grass, 
A-trilling of a silver song, we met a |,, .^, 
lovely lass; 
She only smiled — I know not yet just P 

how it did befall, 
But up the highway, after her, away 
went we all ! 







4 















'• Oh, tell Hs, lovely, lovely lass, why go you singing 
there ? " 

" Why, but for love-ifi-idleness, and 
dancing at the fair ! " 







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DOWN DURLEY LANE 



KK'i^ y'4^. 







HERE, about a milestone, where the hill began, 

A-leaping and a-skipping we found the queerest man; 
He hopped and he laughed — 't was very strange to see, — 
So up the hill, and after him, away went we ! 



Now ^ pry thee, ?nerty gentleman, 7vhy go you laughing, too ? " 
'■'^ Forsooth, fair mates, because I fared this tvay, and 
met with you!" r 



--/•. 



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DOWN DURLEY LANE. 






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ND lo, upon the hill-top, a mighty mistress gay 

Her satm petticoat was grand, her feathers fine' were they ' 
Her buckles and her ribbons they flouted foot and head 
So, o'er the hill-top, after her, away we all sped ' 



" O/i, mistress, mighty mistress, what brings you o'er the lea? " 
But she tossed her head right haughtily, and proudly 
past minced she. 



DOWN DURLEY LANE. 















M^j^^^ 







ND then, with pipe and singing, with laugh and whistle shrill, 
The maddest music there was made a-dashing down the hill ! 
Until upon the green ways, nigh to Durley Fair, 
We smiled at one another— and wondered we were there! 

" No7v, 7vhy go we a-faring about the green ways here ? " 
"■For such a blithesome cornpany.and all the sweet 0' year/" 
6 




DOWN DURLEY LANE. 

UT why the Piper piped a tune so keenly strange and sweet, 
And why the Farmer whistled so joyous through his wheat, 
And what the magic meaning of the lovely lassie's song. 
And why the queer man should leap so merrily along, 

{And of that mighty mistress, who was so wofidrous fine, 

With buckles peering through the dusk like fireflies a-shine), 



E never grew the wiser, nor learned what 't was about, 
Although we danced upon the green until the 

stars shone out; 
And no one knows unto this day the how and 

why and where — 
Save that each followed someone else well-nigh 

to Durley Fair. 

Yet this, 7nethinks, is very clear — in truth 7 is 

passing plain — 
/ tripped it once, when the world was gay, adown 

greeji Durley Lane/ 




Mben ^IMstress Ipeoo^e comes to Zown 



. JV057KC5S 







cJoWhT 



There is such staring all about, 
And such a running up and down; 
The Dominie himself goes out, 
And we behind him, two and two, — 
We mind our manners, that we do, 
When Mistress Peggy comes to town ! 



II. 

The yellow coach goes rattling by, 

With its white horses galloping; 

The geese and chickens frightened fly, 

Even the Parson's pigeons proud 

Go scurrying through the dusty cloud; 

The Blacksmith's anvil stops its ring! 







lO 



WHEN MISTRESS PEGGY COMES TO TOWN. 



III. 

They draw up just a moment's 

space, 
For water, at the " Trusty 

Three." 
Once she leaned out, — we saw 

her face, — 
It was so pink and sweet and 

all, 
Like Granny's roses by the 

wall! 
She smiled at Cicely and me. 

IV. 

Then toots the horn, the whip 

goes "crack!" 
The dogs all bark the noise to 

drown, 
And off they dash; the dust 

flies back ; 
The coach is out of sight at 

last. 
You 'd think a wind-storm had 

blown past 
When Mistress Peggy comes to 

town ! 








— t V ::= g 





II 



Zhc Ibapp^ Iboliba^ of HDaster nDcrdvcin 



/., 




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'LL hie me up to Durley Fair," quoth Master Merrivein; 
' A day of rest and jolhty, then hie me home again. 
With shilhngs in my pocket, and the harvest work all done, 
spend a happy holiday, then back by set o' sun ! " 



o bhthesome Master Merrivein, all in his Sun- 
day best. 
Started straightway for Durley Fair, with energy 

and zest; 
His stick upon his shoulder, most joyfully he 
sped, 
But suddenly 



a voice ■iijg'u.t 
from a T^ffltit ■ -^ 



neisrhbor's' .-^:^t^ ^' 
way said : y^^P^. 







*; 






•«5;i 



H, Master, Master Merrivein! 
As you go to the fair, 
^Vill you take my tumbler-pigeons to the 

pigeon fakir there ? " 
So, kindly Master Merrivein, he slung 
them on his back, 
The pigeons and the pigeon-cage. 
(They made a goodly pack !) 

H 




'>/ 



i; 






THE HAPPY HOLIDAY OF MASTER MERRIVEIN. 

"r"j3«r?OLD ! hold, there, Master Merrivein! As you go through the town, 
lEsJ Will you leave this little donkey with brother Billy Brown ? 
The donkey is so gentle, and so tractable, 



't is said, '^''?^5llf!%' 

That, if you do not beat him, he '11 just trot on ahead! " ,;:**'' "-'" ^' 

So, kindly Master Merrivein, he added to his store. 
By letting one small donkey just trot right on before. 



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" I [^] O' there, you Master Merrivein ! Go 
1== you by Durley Fair? 

J ^tj) i. Then please just take these candle- -^^ . ■-".j^.j- 
sticks to cousin Betty Blair ! '^^O^ 

This bonnet, in the bonnet-box, I '11 add, if you don't mind, 
And these few little trifles I will just tie on behind! 

" They 're for my sister at the Inn, good sir; and 
mother begs 
To add this green umbrella and a basketful of eggs!" 







vf^fY^ 



i'ltfuMi £/ 






So, kindly Master Merrivein, he took them on his arm. 
For fear the bonnet and the eggs might straightway ""^^V.^ //y^ 
come to harm. ^^,/'^^'/^ ■ ^ 



IS 



THE HAPPY HOLIDAY OF MASTER MERRIVEIN. 










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H, Master, Master Merrivein! just step around this way! 
If only you will drive a cow along with you to-day ! 
She 's the gentlest, kindest animal that ever yet 

was seen, 
And I 've sold her to young Mistress Finch, who 

lives on Durley Green ! " 

So, kindly Master Merrivein, he hummed a little song. 
And the cow she switched her tail about and straight- 
way went along. 













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7'.'^^',:7ii,uli¥0f:M 









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H, wait — wait. Master Merrivein! Please stop a moment where 
The cross-roads meet the school-house, well-nigh to Durley Fair, 
And give this keg of butter and bag of tarts so nice. 
And this shawl and woolen comforter, to good old Granny Gryce ! " 






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So, kindly Master Merrivein, with effort and 

with care. 

Got all these things slung on him, — no 

matter how or where. 












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\i:,;:,tii<'J:i.. 




THE HAPPV HOLIDAY OF MASTER MERRIVEIN. 






^^ ^/ 






•p^s that good Master Merrivein ? Three squawk- 
ing geese have I; 
I '11 hang them on your shoulder, and their 
feet I '11 tightly tie. 
Just leave them with Dame Blodgett, anear 

the crooked stile, 
The other side of Durley Green, about a half 
a mile!" 

' " H, stop Stop, 

Master Merri- 
vein ! Go you 
to Durley Fair ? 

^xX.4^. ,ir^^W Then I beg you take this finery for my 

^>3^#j\W'^^ ^' ,„,^^, daughter Meg to wear, 

' /^l^'l?^^^'^^^^^^^ '^^^^ flowered hat and tippet, the mitts and 

M^^ v^^^ paduasoy. 

W% ' 4 -^-y^M^*^/^ ^^^ '^ '^*- ^^'^t Elsie's cottage, and will wel- 

'^W US J!/'/ J ^'^ I)/ f /I^Im come you with joy ! " 






-^^ 




AIT, there, good Master Merrivein ! If to 

the fair you go. 
Please take my fiddle and my flute to 

Uncle Jerryjo ! 







The tuning-fork and music-rack, accordion 

and horn. 
Are for his son, who leads the band at Durley 

Fair each morn ! " 



17 



THE HAPPY HOLIDAY OF MASTER MERRIVEIN. 



-^^^^ 



--■*S^ 





o, Straightway, Master Merrivein, so good and true and kind, 
Started him off to Durley Fair a day of rest to find. 
But did he find it ? Oh, dear me ! Go ascertain, I pray, 
Of all the curious country-folk who passed him on the way 



>^y^ '# 



v^ -^ 7 0R the gentle litde donkey, — that the sight you may not miss, 
^ I I 'II say it took an attitude occasionally like this, — 




/ // •// 



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While the pigeons and the squawking geese, 

I really am afraid, 
That one small picture could not hold the 

havoc that they made! 



i8 



THE HAPPY HOLIDAY OF MASTER MERRIVEIN 



• w 



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— ^HE COW (that gejitle animal!) — to-morrow, at the fair, 

Young Mistress Finch may try to sell ; I warn you, then 

beware ! 
For Master Merrivein found out, to his own great surprise, 
That she had an unexpected way of taking exercise. 



ND all the other articles ? Alack-a-da\- ! I ween, 

Some things, to be appreciated, really must be seen; 
But if 3'ou 'd fully understand the Iww, and when, and 

where, 
Go take a day (like Merrivein's) to rest at Durley Fair ! 






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1F30W the ©oininie went to Sea 



To StA 









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M going to see — " the Dominie said, 
With a nod of his gray, sagacious 

head 
To a path that wound from the hill- 
side down 
Away to a far-ofif seaport town — 

" To see — " and he nodded, and off he went. 
His hands behind and his wise head bent, 
And a far-seeing look in his kind blue eyes 
Fixed on some marvelous enterprise. 



"To sea!" cried his wife from the trellised door. 

"Was ever a man so queer before — 
To start on a voyage as sudden as that, 
In his every-day coat and his garden hat ? 



" Or ever a faithful, painstaking wife 
As worried as I each day of my life, 
To know what he may do next ? Alack ! 
Dominie Brown, come back! Come back!" 






But in vain she called, and in vain she ran ; 
The long-limbed Dominie, excellent man, 
Was up the road that led to the hill. 
Striding along with a right good will. 

So the provident wife, who knew his ways. 

Sped back, in a state of sore amaze. 

For his three-cornered hat, and his long-tailed 

coat, 
And a silken scarf to envelop his throat, 






\'n. 










And his flowered waistcoat, and breeches 

blue. 
And a ribbon black for the end of his queue 
And his silver buckles and gold-headed 

stick. 
And his slippers thin, and his gaiters thick. 









','7/ 






■.•< <■ 



21 



HOW THE DOMINIE WENT TO SEA. 



And his powder-hom, and his musket new, 
And lastly she added his field-glass too ; 
Because," this provident wife quoth she, 
" In foreign lands there is much to see ! " 




Then she sped through the village and over 

the road. 
While far in the distance the Dominie strode, 
And to every one questioning thus cried she, 
"77?(f Dominie says he is going to sea/" 



So straightway the Innkeeper after her ran. 
And so did the Beadle and Penny-bun Man^ 
The Piper and Fiddler, still playing a jig. 
And the Clerk with his pen and his gown 
and his wig, 



22 



HOW THE DOMINIE WENT TO SEA. 



















^-■■s< 



The Doctor, a-riding his old gray nag, 
Came jogging along with his saddle-bag. 
And the Miller, too, stopped his wheel and 

he sped 
With his dusty hat on his floury head; 







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So they went round the hill by the winding 

road, 
While out of their sight the Dominie strode, 
For they said, " We will meet where the 

path leads down. 
And he takes the highway for yonder town ! " 

And to every one questioning thus cried they, 
" T/ie Domi?iie ''s going to sea, this day/" 
Till all with important excitement rife 
Went hurrying after the Dominie's wife. 

But though they scrambled and though they 

ran — 
To the path where the broad highway began. 
There was not a sign of Dominie Brown 
On the way which led to the seaport town ! 



While, after each one there hurried his wife, 
All of them running as if for life. 
Exclaiming, " If Dominie 's going to sea, 
He has much of importance to say to ?ne/" 



They waited and wondered and shaded their 

eyes 
Till the sun lay low in the western skies; 
Then every one said it was easy to see 
That so notably wise a man as he, 



23 



HOW THE DOMINIE WENT TO SEAo 



'^!/ y 






\ 





Taking a voyage as sudden as strange 
To give his loftiest ideas range, 

Would choose his own road, and even now ' ""C ^ 

Was doubtless a-sail at some brave ship's - "^'^' _ 

prow! 

So back as they came, with wonderment rife, And there, serenely shading his eyes. 

They followed the Dominie's provident wife With a questioning look of pleased surprise, 

Bewailing a husband who traveled like that Stood Dominie Brown for all to see. 

In his every-day coat and his garden hat ! " Now welcome to you, kind friends ! " quoth he. 

Back where the Dominie's lands begun " So fine a season it is for a stroll. 

They bore her company every one, I too have refreshed my body and soul. 

Condoling her care and her desolate state. And have been to see " — he nodded his head 
Till they came in sight of her garden gate. To the hill round which they late had sped — 

24 



HOW THE DOMINIE WENT TO SEA. 



" To see if yon path, if I followed it straight, But nobody smiled and nobody stirred ; 
Would bring me around to my garden gate. Only the Dominie's wife was heard, 
And it did ! " The Dominie nodded and Her eyes they flashed and she spake most 



smiled, 



true — 



While contentment shone in his blue eyes mild. " One never knows what sucn a man will do / " 







/ .-' 



/ I 



25 



Mbat tbinos befell tbe Squire's Ibouse 
all oil a jfribai^ ^omimj 



WHAT Thwcj- 3ETELL THE 
j-ovire:^ H0V5E m ON ^ 



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NCAI 




■■;■,■,,■■,. /, , 



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" Oh ! Mother Meg, come out, come out. 

And hearken what I say! 
There are strange happenings about 

The Squire's house this day! 
The mare is gone from out her stall, — 

Alack, unlucky fate ! — 
Three crows did fly around the hall 

As I ran out the gate ! 

" A bumblebee hath stung the Squire ; 
His face is twice its size. 
My cake hath vanished off the fire, 



Bewitched from 'neath my eyes ! 
Old Goody Gay doth sore bemoan 

Some spirit in the well. 
Which makes the bucket weigh ten stone 

And keeps it under spell ! " 



Then Buxom Bess, the Squire's maid, 

Wrung her two hands, forlorning; 
But simple Jake, who after sped, 
Just stood and looked and wagged his head,- 
AU on this Friday Morning. 



27 



WHAT THINGS BEFELL THE SQUIRE S HOUSE. 



So Mother Meg a charm 
did brew 
For Bess, the Squire's 
lass: 
A wondrous potion to 
undo 
What things had come 
to pass. 
She drew three hairs, and 
each one named, 
From out her old cat's 
back. 
And cast them in the fire 
that flamed 
Beneath her caldron 
black. 





28 



Took herbs which grew the well beside, 

Each with its magic art, 
A snake-tooth and a horsehair tied, 

And earth a seventh part, 
And these did brew and brew and brew. 
Within the caldron there, 

Then with her hazel rod she drew 
Three circles in the air: 

i|' " Abra-cad-abra, cad-abra, ca-di ! 
Come, my cat with the gleaming 
eye, 
\ Abra-cad-abra, cad-abra, cad- 

ay! 
Banish spell in this smoke 
away ! " 

With this strange charm 
went Bess the maid 
Backward, and slow 
retreating; 

And three times around 
the house she 
strayed, 

And here and there the 
potion laid. 

Those mystic words re- 
peating. 



WHAT THINGS BEFELL THE SQUIRE S HOUSE. 



And lo ! before the morrow, Jake 

Had caught that wandering mare ; 
And slyly from the well did take 

The stones he emptied there ! 
Old Goody, so rejoiced was she, 

Drew water till nigh spent; 
Then straightway o'er a cup o' tea 

To tell her Gossip went. 

No bees did sting the Squire, because 

The bees he went not nigh. 
And Buxom Bess so busy was 

She saw no black crows fly. 
But her good cake was gone, in truth ; 

Yet this thing I do say, 
She lost not one again, forsooth, 

Until next baking-day! 

Now, if such signs should come to you, 
Speed straight away, I beg. 

And get a magic potion, too. 
Brewed by old Mother Meg. 

But of one Jake, with shambling 
tread, 




Ask not the road. Take warning! 
For when these things were done and 
said, 
He just stood by and wag- 
ged his head — 
All on that Fnday Morn- 
ing ' 




2q 



Zhc Scribe of Buvic)? 










^^SLv 



■^^-^ 



Said the dauntless Scribe of Durley, " I 

shall hie me forth to see 
The midnight raiders who molest my favorite 

plum-tree. 
Yestreen I counted thirty plums a-ripening 

in all ; 
This evening only twenty-nine are hanging 

on the wall 



" I '11 fright the bold marauders forever from 

the scene, 
For tales of blood and daring my daily food 

have been. 
My grandsire was a warrior who fought by 

sea and land : 
I '11 sally out upon the field, his weapons 

in my hand ' " 



32 



THE SCRIBE OF 



DURLEY. 



This dauntless Scribe of Dur- 
ley — toward his favorite 
plum-tree ; 
' "' ' And the gruesome armor's rusty 
greaves they rattled as 
he trod, 
And the dint- 
ed hel- 
met sway- 
ed and 
bent with 
spectral 
beck and 
nod. 




IffV I 



'- He crawled 
within the 
shadows 
dark, and 
clambered 
up the wall, 
When lo ! upon the 
/' further side uprose a fig- 
ure tall — 
A fearful, ghostly figure, with 
hairy visage black ! 
And the dauntless Scribe of Durley 
from off the wall 
fell back. v^^ 



So that dauntless Scribe of Durley, when 

the night was dark and still. 
And the trees were black and spectral, and 

the moon hung o'er the hill, 
His project hazardous he hid from his 

maiden daughters three. 
But made him ready to protect his favorite 

plum-tree. 

" I '11 don my grandsire's armor," quoth he 

unto himself; 
'* And with his shield and helmet, his long 
sword from the shelf, 
I '11 impress these poor marauders, when I 

conquer face to face. 
That they 're honored in encountering a 
very ancient race ! " 

It was a black and gloomy way, and stealth- 
ily stole he — 

3 35 




THE SCRIBE OF DURLEY, 




Forgot was grandsire's valor, as 
straightway to the ground 
He rolled with creak and jangle, with weird 
and awful sound. 
Up through that gloomy garden-close the Scribe 
of Durley fled 
Dropped armor, shield and long sword, and the 
helmet from his head. 

And lo ! upon his threshold, trembling and 

panting, he — 
The dauntless Scribe of Durley — met his 

pretty daughters three. 
One had a lighted candle, and one the 

snufifers bore, 
And one a gruesome cobweb-brush held 

valiantly before. 



•'^M 



'yi/: 



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" Oh, father, you are come too late!" cried 
One and Two and Three; 

" For armed men this night besieged your 
favorite plum-tree ! 



34 



THE SCRIBE OF DURLEY. 



>! ^■'^^ 






3 




We heard them stealing stealth- 
ily, and followed, one and all 

With our long broom made ready to 

sweep them from the wall! ^""^ r--__~ 

And when their leader rose on high with rattling, warlike sound, 
We lifted yonder cobweb-broom and felled him to the ground ! 




35 



THE SCRIBE OF DURLEY. 




And not a plum molested is, upon your favorite tree, m ' ; / 

For twenty-nine a-ripening are, and one we ate for tea!" , , 1 1 ; nii l^,■/'l/})/'//i(/) 

# is 

Then the dauntless Scribe of Durley, oh, ne'er a word i.i.iliU iL\nilw\ ^r^^Mii 

said he 
About the bold old ancestor who fought by land and 

sea. 
Nay, he patted condescendingly each 

pretty daughter's head, ^ ^ ^^,. 

And with candle -and with dignity- .. ;, ijljjpjpi'jfir^^ 

betook himself to bed 



im^m-' 






micm 





36 



tibc Ibiobvva^ntan of Duilc^ 





wmmn @ 




The Durley Coach came rattling down the steep and shppery road, 
With geese and chickens swung atop, and hampers full ^ a load. 

"■ Toot - toot .' Toot - toot ! '' the coacher's 
horn echoed without, within, sirs, 
And said : " Light up, light up the 
fires in good old Durley Inn, 
sirs / " 










■' '^'>> 



39 



THE HIGHWAYMAN OF DURLEY. 



^^ff:-^ 













^.*<.^ 



The Durley Coach held passengers well- 
nigh a half a score : 

The Dominie, he sat behind ; the Beadle 
sat before; 

And Master Mynce was packed therein, 
his viol by his knees; 

While Granny Gryce held sunshade green, 
and half a keg of cheese ; 



And Mistress Pynch 

with sampler, and with 

jar of honey clear, 

Sat by the Innkeeper and 

wife and all their children dear; 

With pickles, pie, and bird-cage. Mistress 

Merrivein was there, — 
For all were bringing home their goods 
from distant Durley Fair. 



-%liJ:./^ 






^ ' .'ft'" 







-T/e-- 



^»5«^'_ '^— ==.^ 



40 



THE HIGHWAYMAN OF DURLEY. 



''Toot-toot I Toot-toot r' The Durley Coach 
swung into Durley Lane. 

The darkness fell upon the road, the moist- 
ure on the pane, 

While gaunt and black the branches waved 
along old Durley Hill, sirs, 

And at its foot the Squire's woods stood 
lonely, dense, and still, sirs. 




" Stop, there ! " The horses reared and plunged 
and halted in the dark. 

A hand had grasped the leader's rein, and 
swung a lantern's spark. 

And Mistress Pynch shrieked, " Highway- 
men ! " with all her might and main. 

And " Highway7nen ! " screamed Granny 
Gryce and Mistress Merrivein, 



41 



THE HIGHWAYMAN OF DURLEY. 






" Thieves ! Robbers ! " 

bawled the Beadle. -i*- 

" Fling everything outside ! " 
"Take all we have, but spare our 

lives ! " the Innkeeper he cried 
" Here is my viol," wailed Master Mynce ; 

" 't is worth a pound to you, sirs ! " 
" My snuff-box," cried the Dominie, " and 

best umbrella, too, sirs ! " 

" Alack ! " sobbed Mistress Merrivein, " kind 
sirs, oh, let me go ! 




My husband dear will pay you well, good 

gentlemen, I know ! 
A finer man you '11 never meet, nor see his 

like again ; 
No one was ever yet afraid of Master 

Merrivein ! " 




.u^" ;r^.-.^m0'}fi.: 



THE HIGHWAYMAN OF DURLEY. 




%&M 






The voices shrieked ; the traps flew out, 
a queer and motley horde, 

The Highwayman he shouted, " Sfo/> / " The 
Coacher, too, he roared ; 

Came sampler, viol, sunshade, and bird- 
cage, pickles, cheese. 

Umbrella, honey, snuff-box, for that High- 
wayman to seize. 



The Highwayman his lantern swung, and 

chattels strove to miss. 
•' Alackaday, good friends," he cried, " a 

pretty welcome this ! 
'T is dark, and I 've a sack of grain I 

fetched from Durley Mill ; 
I stopped the coach to get a ride — all 

with a right good will ; 
But if there be no room within, — and that, 

methinks, is plain, — 



I '11 cUmb atop." So spake the voice of 
Master Merrivein! 

Then Innkeeper and Dominie and Beadle, 
one and all, 

Climbed out to seek their scattered goods, 
and not a sound let fall. 

But Mistress Merrivein outside the window- 
stretched her head, 

And to her husband dear straightway these 
were the words she said : 

In all of Durley, round about, there is not 

such a man 
For making fuss and trouble! Explain it, 

if you can. 
Instead of all this bother and worry and 

to-do, sir, 
Why could you not have said at first that 

you were only you, sir ? " 



43 



^be Ibapp^ ^bouobt of niMstvcss p^ncb 



^"^'-'- 




UOTH Mistress Pynch 
unto her cat (a prim old 
, lady, she !) : 
" If Durley Town held no 
small boys, how happy we 
should be! 
Young lads so unexpected are; their 

manners so alarming. 
I 'd work a transformation satisfactory 
and charming. 

"I 'd have our grown-up townsmen 

grave, for space of one brief day, 
Assume the guise of boyhood days, ^^-Ul 

and show us youth at play, ^'' '■ ' 

So circumspect! Such dignity! At 

lessons late and early! 
Alack, what models they would be 

unto these lads of Durley! 



"The Dominie — right certain I that 

never in his life 
Was that staid mind on pleasure bent, with 

noisy pastime rife; 
Our good friend Master Merrivein — so 



conscientious ever ! 




I 'm sure that 
in his boy- 
j^'I'Js hood he de- 

^JS^ sired a play- 
time never. 



"Our wise adviser, Doctor Patch — how 

studious was he ! 
And Cousin Mynce, who always walked 

abroad with sisters three! 
Alas! their tasks were play enough; all 

lighter pastime spurning. 
They kept them to their copy-books, or 

Rule of Three a-learning. 



46 



MISTRESS PYNCH S HAPPY THOUGHT. 



"Now, could these stately friends :' .v,> ^. . , •■ / 

recall how discreetly they have ^ -" ^z; . .■ ' ,.■■•-"' //\ 

played "^ ' 7 r " '^-^K 'v'N^-' ''•■•■ 

In the sood old days when duty the part Wi^-r^ ^.•.. l^Jx '• 'A'^l^ 

of youth was made! - ":\ ■-■';>"<v J /'AJ| ^^ 

My cat could walk abroad in peace, in 

quiet late and earl) 
We 'd live — if such a spell \\eie wrought 

within the town of Durley ' " 




i 










And now', of ways and 
means and things, 
don't question nu 

(Mayhap that guileless 
slipped out and 
Wise Woman Meg 

But scarce had Mis 
Pynch so wished 
nodding o'er her f 

Than came a sound dow^n 
Durley Hill, a-mount- 
ing high and higher ! 

In consternation, Mis 

tress Pynch 

sprang up and • • 

to her door. •■ 
Lo ! such a sight 

there met her 

eyes as ne'er 

they 'd seen 

before ! 



47 



MISTRESS PYNCH S HAPPY THOUGHT. 






i 



-rV^'^ 









'l^' '^'^:^: 









;.** ■■ 'I"^t;,^i- /^f- f ^i' 




A shout ! A roar ! Stampede and dust ! 

Down Durley Hill came rushing, 
Like to a Hving torrent or a long-pent flood a- gushing, 

A medley of the queerest folk, with whisdes, yells, and noise; 
Now, were they young, or were they old, these savage Durley boys? 
Upon good Mistress Pynch's cow the Dominie came riding, 

While hanging to old Dobbin's tail fled Doctor Patch a-striding ! 



The Beadle ? Down the hill, head first, he made a 

mighty start, sirs. 
And after came the ponderous Squire upon a baby's 
cart, sirs ! 

While Cousin Mynce (O lackaday, that I 

should do the telling !) 
Was tying tins unto the cat, regardless of 
its yelling. 




^^Mr^ 




And gentle Master Merrivein (it well-nigh 

makes me quail !) 
Came pounding out a wild tattoo on Mis- 
^_. . tress Pynch's pail. 

The fences fell ; the gates flew off; the 

signs were madly swinging; 
Books whirled, and dogs they barked like 
mad, and cow-bells all were ringing; 



48 



MISTRESS PYNCH S HAPPY THOUGHT. 




Big stones they flew the casements through; the drums all 

beat, the whistles blew; 
Oh, such a havoc, racket, din! The glass clashed out; 

the folks dashed in ! 
To tell the half I can't begin. The very earth began 

to spin 
Round Mistress Pynch, when these old boys shouted, with 

savage dance, sirs : 
" This is the very way, oho ! we should have played long, 

long ago 

In the good old days of youth, you know — if we \i only 

had the chance, sirs / " 

* # 

Poor Mistress Pynch! She wrung her hands — and then she rubbed 
her eyes ; 

For she sat before her fire, while her cat, with meekest guise, 
Was licking of its two black paws. The sunset 
red was falling. 

And somewhere near, on Durley Hill, the 
boys at play were calling. 

Then Mistress Pynch she got her up 
and peeped without her door ; 

t ||[ "(*'[,' And straightway from her pantry all 



her gingernuts she bore. 
And carried them — ay, every one — 
so spicy, crisp, and curly, 
('Mid great astonishment and 

awe), unto those lads of 

Durlev. 




49 



TLbc Enviable Erranb of flDaster flDerrivein 






si^t(sr JfllcFrwsm 








UOTH Mistress Merrivein, one morn, " Go ! Get ye forth right early, 
And fetch a pound o' tea from out the market-place o' Durley; 
Of green alpaca buy a yard, red ribbon for my muff, 
An earthen crock, a skein of yarn, ha'penny worth o' snuff, 

A wooden pail, a pair of mitts, and flour from the mill, sir; 

And, that you may return full soon, go round by Hybum Hill, sir." 

So kindly Master Merrivein, he hied him forth right early; 
And this is what he told himself upon the road to Durley: 
" Of red alpaca buy a pound, a pail of tea, a muff; 
Green mitts, a skein of flour, and a half a yard of snuff!" 

And as he went down Hybum Hill, a-whistling blithe and cheery. 
He met the market-woman, who came out from County Kerry, 
With basket balanced on her head, and panniers at her 
'^ side. 

She bobbed to Master Merrivein; and this was what 
she cried : 



52 



THE ENVIABLE ERRAND OF MASTER MERRIVEIN. 



"Arrah, now, pretty gintleman! Coom, 

sthop awhile an' buy ! 
I 've spectacles to match the rogue 

a-twinklin' in yer eye ! 
Wid neckerchiefs an' finger-rings — most 

beauchiful they 're shinin' ! 
To suit ye dacintly an' grand, I '11 

sthraightway be divinin'." 



But Master Merrivein, the wise, 

he sagely shook his head. 
And to the market-woman these 

mysterious words he said : 
"Of red alpaca buy a pound; 

a yard of mitts and muff; 
Green flour in a wooden crock, 

and half a skein of snuff — " 

" Begone ! " that market-woman ,^ 
cried ; " the likes of ye ^J 

should know 
A dacint market-woman '11 not be 
tr'ated so ! " 

Down Hyburn Hill she followed him, 
with hard and furious pace, 

Till nigh the hurrying throng outside 
the Durley market-place. 





53 



THE ENVIABLE ERRAND OF MASTER MERRIVEIN. 



And there, with her black cat, was Meg, the Witch o' Durley Green. 
" Hold, now, and hearken, sir," cried she; " your fortune I have seen! 
Strange stores indeed of gold and gear this day are waiting you ; 
But he who 'd find aright must buy my magic snake-tooth brew ! " 



But Master Merrivem the wise, he 

sagely shook his head, 
And to the Witch o' Durley Green these 

mystic words he said : 
■ Of red alpaca buy a skein — a crock of 

muffs and things; 
Green spectacles, a pail of snuff, a pound 

of finger-rings — " 



" Hoots ! Toots ! " the Witch o' Durley cried, 
'mid shouts and gibes and laughter, 
As with her stick upraised in air she angrily sped after. 
While Jake the Pieman, ran before, a-calling " Cake or tart, sir ? " 
And Moll, the gypsy, ran beside, a-crying, " Make you smart, sir, 





54 



THE ENVIABLE ERRAND OF MASTER MERRIVEIN. 



" With laces, ribbons, yellow beads, and little looking-glasses ! 
An' you '11 be finer than the lads, an' fairer than the lasses ! " 
But with his hands upon his ears good Merrivein, he sped. 
While they followed, in amazement at the queer words that he said. 

" Of red alpaca buy a crock, a pail of rings, green muff; 
A half a pound of spectacles, a yard of snake-tooth snuff" — 
Oh, then he fled beyond their shouts, that nobody might 

find him; 
But buxom. Bess, the squire's maid, went running on 

behind him. 






w 



ll -" 









"C^y^:-^ 



0. ^ 



• /^ ■ 






'X, 



«=^^i 






^"s^. 



.^"5 






f/r 



// . 



I ;'.i'''''^y 



"^(^.'A 






■vV: 



■V 



-w; 






-"/y 



^4\' 



^ 



■?%^ 



^ 



\ M 






; 



yfep, 



i'/ 



r^"-;^-^ 



;tf,^«& 



,*^t) 



V. a;;;! 






7# 






/ , 



^^ 






Vo. 



-^>^. 



AW,'* > 



^ -",::. 



And 
And 



And Polly from the Ferrier's, and Peggy from the hillside, 
\' ' . And little Norah of Dunblea, and Nelly of the millside; 

And so they ran, and oh, they ran! a-joining hands together, 
Twixt Durley Hill and Durley Green, all in the windy weather. 
And there, — good Master Merrivein! — upon a stone they found him; 
And oh, they glanced, and oh, they pranced, and oh, they danced 
around him! 

And Polly showed a crimson shoe, 
And Norah's saucy eyes were blue, 
Bess she wore a kerchief red, and Peggy had a yellow head, 
Nelly like a lark did sing, as round they whirled them in a ring. 

55 






v;^:"'^ 



THE ENVIABLE ERRAND OF MASTER MERRIVEIN. 



,^ ^ 






















" 'T was red alpaca in a pail 



But through the song and laughter, and 
the tripping dance so gay, 

They heard good Master Merrivein's dis- 
jointed utterance say : 

a pound of looking-glasses . . . 



Blue mufifs and things , . . red finger-rings for little dancing-lasses 
A skein of yellow beads and lace ... a yard of snake-tooth tea 
Alack, poor Master Merrivein, in sorry plight was he! 

Then mad they danced up Durley Hill, a-flitting back together 
Like butterflies, all in the glad and golden Durley weather. 



But what good Master Merrivein fetched home that morning early 
Go ask of Mistress Merrivein, on t ' other side of Durley ! 













56 



Zbc Battle of 3)urle^ 







^..^ 



Quoth Master Merrivein, one mom, unto Whistling, had packed his market-cart and 



his wife : " I hear 



started off for town. 



The mill on Durley River bank hath been But nigh half-way, a-gallop, came the doctor 



besieged, my dear — " 



and his na^; 



Besieged ! " cried Mistress Merrivein. "What And, hard behind, the donkey-cart of good 

news ! Oh, lack-a-day ! " Dame Featherbag. 

And off she flew to tell the news to Mistress 



Lo! at the crooked turnstile, a-running as 
for hfe. 
Meanwhile, good Master Merrivein, with The fiddler and the blacksmith, the dominie 



Dolly Gay. 

.nwhile, goo( 

not a care or frown, 



and wife ; 




n,/ 



58 



THE BATTLE OF DURLEY. 



■Mm/-j^&./' 















'V?^iV"i^S 







A-follo\ved 
by the 

shrimp-man, ■--. 
who, panting, 
breathless, said : 
" There 's fighting up at Durley Town, and 
much blood hath been shed ! " 

And on the yellow highway he met with 

sailors three, 
A-hobbling up to Durley Town, as hard as 

hard could be. 
They carried sticks and bludgeons, and as 

they passed they said : 
"There 's a battle up at Durley, and sixteen 

men are dead ! " 






Upon the bridge the innkeeper was driv- 
ing like the wind, 
And all his family in a cart were coming 

on behind ; 
And they flourished warlike implements, all 
threatening to strike — 

Long skewers, 

j tongs, brass 

candlesticks, 

and snufiers, 

and the like. 



.V 




59 



THE BATTLE OF DURLEY. 









:^#4' ^^;i 




And out upon the highway — the strangest And they shouted as they hastened by, each 

sight, I ween ! — with a right good will : 

A throng of frightened village folk a-march " The soldiers are upon us, and they 've fired 

from Durley Green, Durley Mill!" 

Equipped with ancient musketry — arrayed And lastly came the cannon, with the 

from toe to crown — // beadle on before; 

To battle for their neighbors at beleaguered jjl And he shouted, " Haste and help us, 

Durley Town. W for there 's going to be a war ! " 

■■ ■ I'l' •- 

r ^ J I .. ^ ■■ if^ 



w 



'm§& 






^^l 







60 



THE BATTLE OF DURLEY. 



So away went Master Merrivein, and followed them all down 
To fight for suffering neighbors at beleaguered Durley Town. 
But lo! what sight did meet his eyes as he drove round 

the hill? 
All peacefully against the skies stood good old Durley Mill! 




And thick about it there was drawn a And lo! on Master Merrivein they turned, 

strange and motley crew, as he drew nigh, 

A-talking and a-clamoring, and making a And his wife advanced with wrathful mien 

to-do and anger-flashing eye : 

Around the starded miller, who, with coun- " What is this thing you 've done, sir! What 

tenance benign, do you mean, I say, 

Of enemy or bloodshed had seen nor trace By telling me that Durley Mill hath been 

nor sign 1 besieged this day ? " 

6i 



THE BATTLE OF DURLEY. 















" Ay, ay ! " cried all the neighbors, and the While all the birds round Durley Hill listened 

beadle wagged his head. in every tree : 

"Explain, sir! Ay, explain, sir!" right fu- " I /r/>^/ to tell my wife, good friends, — may- 

riously he said. hap she '11 make it plain, — 

And kindly Master Merrivein, full wonder- That Durley Mill 's besieged by juice ! " 

ing, spake he, quoth Master Merrivein. 







62 



mUbite Clbmc 

















c-- 



V- 









1 lT''"\ r' til- i < ;'=-^-T 






/j- i 




4 i ■ 



Oh, White Marie from tlie mountain high 
Came down, when the world went Maying, 
From the snow of the peaks that shine alway, 
To the snow o? the fields that flowering lay. 
Where Shy Suzette and Saucy Dinette 

— and Baby Babette — were playing. 

Stole White Marie from the mountain high 
Like a wandering wind-flower straying; 
And oh, the surprise in her soft dark eyes 
At the blossoming ball of wonderful size 
With which Suzette and Saucy Dinette 

— and Baby Babette — were playing! 



Then — 
SKy Suzette would not go nigh, 
And naughty Dinette drew her face awry, 
And frightened Marie turned swift to fly 
Back to her goats, the foot-path by, 

When — 
Baby Babette in the grasses high — 

A Marguerite out-swaying — 
Reached her hands with a laugh of delight, 
And scattered a shower of sunflakes white. 
With nods and smiles and baby wiles, 

And baby words soft saying. 

64 



WHITE MARIE. 







^M 






^ 'h\''- "^^"^'i. ■ if ■'■■■ 






4^ 



77/^;z / 

Dinette threw her ball and cried "/<:/.'" 
And Suzette looked sorry and said "(9 oia.'" 
And Marie murmured a sweet " A/erd J " 

And then — and then — 
Dear Baby Babette and Shy Suzette and Saucy Dinette, 
With White Marie from the mountain high, 

In the snow of the fields were playing ! 







^ 









m"y'"'^% 






'Mu^y\^s4. 



)i. "^i 



>^' 



'■^'i 



65 



Xisbetb's Song 




'J^' 



•^.J 






■^vn' 



'^-^5- 









TT^.l 



*r\^'' 



'/i!5^ 



, '-''- 



AC>^ 



^iMa'^^^^PI ^^^ 






,^- 



y- 



.p. 






^v^ 



.:.>Nf , 



*' Whirr!" says the little wheel. "AVhirr! Wliirr ! " 
While out of the window a twitter and stir. 
And the bells of the garden are all a-chime 
^^'ith the clock in the corner that ticks the time 
Solemn o'er Lisbeth's white-capped head, 
And kerchief demure, and petticoat red ; 

68 



LISBETH S SONG. 

" Whirr ! " says the Httle wheel, " let me be ! " 
But Lisbeth laughs, and blithe sings she : 
'• Soft and bright. 
Smooth and white. 

Keeps the thread in beginning. 
And I '11 have no spot. 
Or tangled knot, 

At the close of this day's spinning." 

"Burr!" says the little wheel. " Bur-r-r — " 
While the buds in the window beckon to her, 
And the sunlight mocks at the clock's stem face, 
And the big blue tiles in the chimney-place. 
And dances in glee on the white floor bare, 
And Lisbeth's braids of yellow hair — 
*' Burr ! " says the little wheel, " don't you see ? " 
But Lisbeth laughs, and blithe sings she : 
" Turn and spin, 
Out and in, 

No end without a beginning; 
I must have no spot. 
Or tangled knot. 

At the close of this day's spinning ! " 




69 



Big "ffJook ox b^ Crook 




Y Hoolt 

or By 






^v. 







J^^-'' 





>a'-*iUfi^ 1 



.r 













^,- 



>v. 



^#/. 






Mi..i)»|i;— •'«-'. 






-1'yj' 



:^^ 



,-/..Ti' 



"^.U;- 







:^y 






/ It was a lonely Shepherd 
lad, who lolled upon 
the lea, — 
"Alack, how many fishes 
are a-swimming in the 
sea! 
'T would seem a goodly company were 

I in yonder boat. 
But here are only grazing sheep, or else 
a gruesome goat ! 



" The sun comes up, the sun goes down, alike day after day ; 
I come and go with my slow sheep in just the selfsame way. 
I am tired of the hilltop, I am tired of the lea. 
And I would I were yon Fisherman a-skimming o'er the sea ! " 

It was a lonely Fisherman, who drifted with his boat, — 
"Alack! this life is nothing more than fish, and row, and float; 
There 's plenty worth the hving for if I were on the land. 
But here the world is all made up of water, salt, and sand. 

" There might be more variety if things were turned around. 
And sheep went scampering in the sea and fishes on dry ground; 
I am tired of the fishes, I am tired of the sea, 
And I would I were yon Shepherd lad, a-loUing on the lea ! " 



72 



BY HOOK OR BY CROOK. 




Then the Fisherman he shouldered his basket, rod, and hook, 

While the Shepherd sauntered surlily, a-slinging of his crook ; 

They nodded to each other, — a nod unreconciled, — 

And the great sun gave a parting look, then smiled, and smiled, and smiled ! 



^ i 





, yf- 



,k' 



■^^ ' < 



A ' 



^ ^, 







■w. >> 



n 



Zhc jfool anb the !!LittIe Court %ab^ 



TtlE TOOL 

AND 

UTILE COVB.T 




^ 






^-r=-<«^ 



^r ^fesisi 







■^t^ 



He was a merry, merry Fool so gay, 

She was a little Court Lady; 
He jangled his bells by night and by day, 

She sang in the green ways shady. 




; 1 1 rS=^ Z—^jJ -^^^^^^r'^ -:r=___ 



-i mm?- 



76 



THE FOOL AND THE LITTLE COURT LADY. 

She sang to the Queen with the sad, sad face, 
Who sighed, " Ah me ! " as she listened, 
" My crown for a day of such childhood's grace ! " 
And a tear in her dark eye glistened. 







And the grave King looked at his jester gay, 
And sighed, as he smiled at the chaffing, 
" My kingdom to be this Fool for a day. 
Whose life is a time for laughing ! " 

They met when the sun slipped down in the sea, 
The Fool and the Htde Court Lady, 

And a queer jester he, and a sorry singer she, 
As they walked in the green ways shady; 

77 



THE FOOL AND THE LITTLE COURT LADY. 




Then he bobbed a Httle bow, and a little curtsey she, 
As they passed down the green ways shady; 

But " Alack ! " quoth the queer little Fool, quoth he ; 
And "Alas!" sighed the little Court Lady. 

V 




M ,:w;^ "/':'■!■ : 



mmi^'% 



Li yff^^p^t^wi'^ 



ll I 






\f' 



M''^ 



'Q'lr r' im 'i!i^'\ii ^'I'-f^/ 7/^"^ ^w ir\\ \ f«t'^Jr«S: 



m 







78 



Zhc Ballab of the nDaib anb tbe Ikino 




'1111/,;, !• 



^^^^2^^^^ 









T'^T 






-T' 












'--''^'^- JV^^ 



/ / 







i^As told hy the old Spinner.) 



'^ . 




---^:$- 

/■'.■-^f' 



V 



HE king and his men to the castle came; 

Ttirn, my taheel, tuni / 
The sun was setting, in blood-like flame; 

Turn, my wheel, turn I 
The flags o' the tower were red to the west, 
The dove i' the turret had sought its nest, 
And I did 'broider a silken vest — 

Turn, my wheel, turn J 

Clanged the horseshoe and rang the spur 

In courtyard and hall; 
Owls flew forth with hoot and whir 

From the tower wall; 
And out by the moat they frightened ran, 
Warder and scuUion, maid and 
man — 

Fled they all. 



Only I in the tower was 
left — 
A maid, half-grown. 
My lord of his household 
all bereft — 
Hearts of stone! 
My good, gray lord was 

hiding there; 
Only his little maid knew 
where 
He lurked alone. 




%!■ 



So 



THE BALLAD OF THE MAID AND THE KING. 




Strode the king to the tower door — 

" Open h^re ! " 
Fell my 'broidery down to the floor. 

Loud and clear, 
Men in mail smote the tower wall ; 
Burst the door, and the king stood tail, 

With helm and spear. 

Swarmed his men up the narrow 
stair, 
Soldier and knight. 
Found only a maiden with 
yellow hair. 
And a face milk-white — 
Only a maid (and 
that maid I) — 
Spears and helmets 
they thronged 
them nigh 
In the sun's red 
light. 



" Now who is this 
who hath stayed 
alone?" 
Spake the king to 
the maid. 
" Warder o' castle and 
keeper o' stone ! " 
'T was thus she 
said. 
" All men's places 
I 'm left to fill — 
Soldier and scullion, 
too, an ye will — 
For all are fled!" 



Oh, then the laughter 
rose harsh and 
loud; 
And words they buzzed like bees in a cloud ! 
But I marked the great king's angry eye, 
Which sought where my good, gray lord 
might lie. 

"Where is thy lord?" quoth the king to 

the maid; 
" Point the place, or thou 'It lose thy head ! " 
" My life may be thine," said the maid to 

the king; 



" But my lord's is his own 
court'sying. 



quoth she. 



" Lead thou on to his hiding-place, 
Or I burn the castle before thy face ! 
I level the castle from turret to ground 
Unless thy lord be straightway found ! " 

Cried the king to the maid. 







■v 



She stamped her foot on the pavement 
stone — 

She defied the King. 
" Wouldst threaten a maiden left alone ? " 
How scorn can sting! 

" A captive thou in a dungeon low," 
Said the king to the maid, 

" Unless his hiding-place thou 'It show, 
Where he lurks in dread ! " 



8i 



THE BALLAD OF THE MAID AND THE KING. 




Spake the maid: "The great king I obey! 
Mine be my Hfe ! I shall lead the way 
To where my lord hath hid him this 
day ! " 

These words she said. 

" Bravely pledged! An' thou 'It play me true! 
Or thy life is the price, and the deed thou 'It 
rue, 

I vow to thee ! " 
Oh, stem spake he. 

" If I show not where he is hid this day, 
My life is the forfeit that I shall pay ! " 
And thus spake she. 

Forth from the castle, with clamor and 
speed, 

Rode the king and his men; 
One in advance on a fiery steed, 



Urging me onward to point the way 
To where my dear lord, good and gray. 
Had striven to save his life that day. 

Then, oh, then 
They rode abreast and they rode in state 

At a maiden's word; 
Out by the courtyard and castle gate, 

Where swallows whirred; 
Up the highway and over the hill. 
Past the river, with desperate will. 

Was our galloping heard. 

Into the forest, and dusk at last 

Fell quick, so quick! 
The dead leaves swept in a cloud as we 
passed, 

Thick, so thick! 
The dark crept round like a smoky shroud ; 
The horses they panted hard and loud — 
" If thou play false," said the king, " beware ! " 



82 



THE BALLAD OF THE MAID AND THE KING. 



" 'T is well," said she of the l^axen hair; 
" If I lead not where he hath hid this day 
My life is the forfeit, an' that I '11 pay ! " 

Over the river and past the moat, 
Drawbridge, ferry, and lagging boat; 
Swift they unhorsed them, each and all, 
And stood without a turreted wall. 
Through the postern, soldier and knight, 
Blades made ready and torches alight, 



Listen I Only a maid was there, 
FHtting before them up the stair — 
The selfsame stair they had trodden o'er, 
The selfsame castle they 'd searched before I 
Listen I Oh, listen! 

How that maiden laughed as she upward 

sped 
To the empty tower room o'erhead! 
But the king he shouted in baffled rage, 



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Following whither that maiden bid, 
To where her good, gray lord was hid. 

Within those portals, — silence all. 
Torches wavered on cornice and hall. 



And they trembled — soldier, knight, and 
page. 

But not the maid. 
She sprang to the room in the turret high, 
And faced them all with a flashing eye; 



^3 



THE BALLAD OF THE MAID AND THE KING. 



And the torches flamed: but she laughed 

the more 
At an upturned stone in the paved floor — 
At a stairway dark and steep and low, 
Where into the depths a man might go. 



Every soldier with flaming eye! 
Blades flashed bright in the torches' glare, 
A protecting ring o'er that maiden there ! 
No tyrant's sword could pierce that wall — 
Not one drop of her blood might fall ! 



'Behold my dear lord's hiding-place!" 
Cried the maid to the king. 
• I led thee to 't with a right good grace," 

Quoth she, court'sying. 
■ Thou didst leave him hiding beneath this 

stone ; 
And now my lord is away and gone! 
Thou didst go by the courtyard and come 

by the moat; 
Thou didst go in the saddle and come by 

the boat ; 
Thou hast been all round my lord's domain, — 
Round his castle and back again, — 
And he fled when ye left him — my good, 

gray lord ! 
And my life I yield to the great king's 
sword ! " 

Said the maid to the king. 

' And by my sword thou shalt straightway die ! " 

Spake the king to the maid. 
' Strike ! " I cried (for the maid was I — 

A slip of a girl, with yellow hair). 

Flashed his furious blade in air, — 

But lo ! what a protest burst anigh ! 

AH his knights with their swords on high ! 



Beyond the yawning portal-stone 
The great king stood, and he stood alone. 
With never a man to call his own; 
Gazing, amazed, at the swords held high 
O'er a slip of a maid — 

And that maid I! 



I sit and I spin in my tower room; 

Turn, 7/iy wheel, turn / 
The year blows in -with the apple-bloom; 

Turn, ?ny wheel, turn ! 
But listen ! When, wailing, the year fades 

out, 
And dead, dry leaves they whirl them 

about. 
And the sun lies red on the turret and wall, 
I hear once more the trumpet call ; 
The clamor arises, the rage, the din, 
As dusk, the merciful, darkens in. 
And a slim, young maid with a milk-white 

face 
Rides through the night at a fearful pace — 
Leads to her good lord's hiding-place — 
Faces the furious king anigh : 
I am old, I am old I — 

But that maid was I / 





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Over the bridge to the King's highway The friar with his book, and the jester with 

They throng and they jostle, young and old, his bells. 

With bustle and with hurry; for 't is market- The vender with red apples for his stands, 

day, The maid who buys, and the master who sells, 

And the mist from the river riseth cold. And the little lass with blossoms in her hands. 

Over the bridge they speed, the noisy folk. Oh, the violets smile like her sweet blue 

With chaises, with barrows, and with carts; eyes. 

The 'prentice in his cap, and the dame in her As dawn on the river stealeth down ; 

cloak, But nobody heeds them and nobody buys, 
And the baker with his fresh-made tarts; For 't is market-day in yonder busy town. 

87 



OVER THE BRIDGE TO THE KING'S HIGHWAY, 



Over the bridge they have sped them one and Will they stop ? Nay, nay ! they are grand, 

all, they are great, 

She watches, and she nods, and under- She nods, and she smiles, and understands ; 

stands; They have no time, while the court doth 

For they are so great and she so small — yonder wait. 

This little lass \\ith blossoms in her For a little lass with blossoms in her hands, 
hands ! 







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Over the bridge to the King's '~' "^ 

highway " "^"- -^'"^ ' 

They are riding in the noontide "^ 

sun, '—-' " 

The lords and the ladies, the courtiers gay, 

A-gleaming and a-glancing every one. 



Oh, they flash and they dart past her sweet She knows how the page with his lagging lit- 

blue eyes, tie feet 

The merry, the courtly, and the sage; Would fain for a wee rest stay; 

She sees the lance that lights, and the feather, They have journeyed so far, they have ridden 

too, that flies, so fleet. 

And the lagging of the little foot-page. The noble, the kingly, and the gay ! 

88 



Then swiftly the leaves of her vio- 
lets blue 
Are brushing his wan, pale 
face, — 
Oh, my blithe little lass, the court 
hath need of you, 
Of the gift, and the giver, and 
the grace ! 



OVER THE BRIDGE TO THE KINGS HIGHWAY. 







Over the bridge in the noontide 
bright 
They have sped like an arrow 
from its bow; 
The little lass a-shading her eyes 
for the sight. 
The Httle page's plume sweep- 
ing low. 




Just a pause, just a smile from iJ:^<^j^J^^^si5-*if:s^m^'lf .I'^^^V 
her bonny sweet eyes — 
And the river, how it laugheth 
to the sands; 
For the tired Httle page like a 
winged bird he flies 
A-bearing dewy blossoms in his 
hands ! 







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WHAT THE LORD HIGH CHAMBERLAIN SAID. 



Little Prince Carl he stole away Alone in the twilight gray and dim, 

From the gold-laced guard and the powdered He climbed on the carven chair of 
page, state. 

And the ladies in waiting, who night and day And there with a smile sufficiently grim, 
Kept their bird in a gilded cage. And a royal air, His Highness sate. 

9- 



WHAT THE LORD HIGH CHAMBERLAIN SAID. 

He folded his arms with a mighty mien, 

Little Prince Carl, the son of a king,— 

But never an auditor was to be seen, 

Save the pea-green cockatoo, perched in his swing! 

And rebellion shone in His Highness' eyes : 
" When I am a king full-grown," said he, 
" I fear there is going to be surprise 

At some of the things this court shall see ! 




" With the Dowager Duchess I shall begin ; 

When I say, 'Stand forth!' she shall bow her low. 
' For me to jump you have said was a sin; 

I command _>'6'z/ to jump wherever you go! ' 

" The Court Physician I next shall take : 
'And you, I hear, have declared it best 
That I, your monarch, shall not eat cake,— 
Phan-cake^ too, of the very best I — 

"'Well, yoti are to eat a gallon of rice, 
And nothing besides, for every meal; 

93 



WHAT THE LORD HIGH CHAMBERLAIN SAID. 




I am sure 't is quite " wholesome," " nourishing," " nice," 
But I know quite well just how you feel ! ' 

"Now let the Lord Chamberlain have a care!" 
His Highness' voice took a terrible ring; 
He rumpled his curls of yellow hair, 
And the pea-green cockatoo shook in its swing! 

"'Down! Get down on your knocking knees, 

Down with your smile and your snuff-box, too ! ' 
I will thunder, ' and now 't is time, if you please, 
To settle an old, old score with you ! 




94 



WHAT THE LORD HIGH CHAMBERLAIN SAID. 

"'What became of those three white mice 
That crept from the royal nursery door. 
After you said if they did it twice 

They should never be heard of any more ? 

'"/ k7io'w, for I heard the little one squeak/ 
And I ran and stopped my ears up tight. 
You need not squirm, and you need not speak, 
For your fate shall be settled this very night. 

"*In the darkest depths of the dungeon lone 
You are to live; but do not fear, 
For company livelier than your own 

You shall have three milhon mice a year!'" 

The little Prince clapped his hands in glee, 
And laughed aloud at this fancying, — 

Oh, a rare and a wonderful monarch he! — 
And the pea-green cockatoo hopped in its swing : 

When out of the twilight a slow voice rolled; 

There stood the High Chamberlain, stern, who said 
" I regret to state that I 've just been told 

It is time for Your Highness to go to bed!" 

And lo! not a word did His Highness say! — 
He went at once, like the son of a king. 

But his bright curls drooped as he walked away. 
And the cockatoo's head went under its wing. 




©lb Christmas 



OLD CHRISTMAS. 



It 's a long way round the year, my dears, 

A long way round the year! 
I found the frost and the flame, my dears, 

I found the smile and tear! 




The wind blew high on the pine-topp'd hill, 
And cut me keen on the moor; 

The heart of the stream was frozen still. 
As I tapped at the miller's door. 



I tossed them holly in hall and cot, 
And bade them right good cheer, 

But stayed me not in any spot, 
For I 'd traveled around the vear 



To bring the Christmas joy, my dears, 
To your eyes so bonnie and true; 

And a mistletoe bough for you, my dears, 
A mistletoe bough for you ! 



bring the Christmas joT,my dears,To your eyes so bonnie and true ; And a 



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